Bearing for centrifugal machines.



' To all whom it may concern:

ANDREW ROBERT ROBERTSON, OF GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

BEAR NG FOR onN'rnIruoAL MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1910.

Application" filed September 25, 1909. Serial No. 519,587.

Be it known that ,1, ANDREW ROBERT RoB- ERTSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and'a resident of Glasgow, Scotland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bearings for Centrifugal Machines, of which the following is the specification.

This invention relates to centrifugal ma chines of the self-balancing type. This class of centrifugal machine is characterized by havin the revolving cage or basket so supporte that any tendency to oscillation or precession is checked or controlled by an elastic device su porting the bearing, the elasticity of whic device at same time permits of any vibration caused by unequal loading of the basket.

The types of elastic support hitherto emloyed have been limited in form and size y the types of bearings in vogue at the time they wereldesigned. An early and well'known form of the bearing hereinbefore referred to. is shown in Figure 1 of patent specification No. 592,147 in which the basket is carried by a hollow vertical spindle or shaft which rotates upon a non rotating shaft within its hollow part. This non-rotating shaft was held within an elastic support -which performed the functions described. Iniorder presumably to obtain the same results as are achieved by this present invent-ion, the patentees of Patent No.

592,147 describe in Fig. 3 another bearing in which the top end of the non-rotating s indle is made of hemispherical shape an is supported in a hemispherical cup, thus iving freedom of oscillation to the spindle, ut providing-no control of' such oscillation beyond that insufficiently given by the weight of the rotating parts themselves. The hemi spherical cup 1s given lateral movement; which-permits of vibration, springs being;

provided to control this vibration.

In more modern designs, instead-of the rotating spindle being hollow it is made solid and rotate in a bearing (usually a ball bearing) which; in turn is carried in an elastically supported collar on the spindle. Attempts have been made toapply the principle of Fig. 3' of Patent No. 592,147 to these later forms by making the collar which carries the bearing embracing the rotating spindle hemispherical in either the whole or part of its outer surface and supporting it 1n a hemispherical cup. This hemispherical collar was acted upon by springs 'so as to resist its movements when it oscillated, thus.controlling oscillation. The fault, however, in these later attempts was that these oscillation controlling devices obtained their urchase from fixed parts of the framing, an therefore did not actto best advantage, being affected in their action by the lateral vibrations of the other parts.

In this present invention, the hemispherical collar which carries the bearing in which the spindle rotates rests in a hemi-, I

spherical cup shaped seat. The hemispherical cup shaped seat is made with an annular flange flat on its lower surface and resting upon a flat art of the frame, so that it has freedom of ateral movement. eral movement allows of vibration alone and is controlled by springs all in known manner, but according to the present invention, between the hemispherical shaped collar The latpart} of the bearing resting in the cup shaped seatin and t lat seatin springs are arrangech'or t eyare arrange in such cognate manner that at any rate their effect upon the parts is not modified by the 'rela tive lateral movement of them. These springs control the oscillation, but, since the are carried b the seating and so move b0 ily with it in its lateral movement, they are therefore unaffected by vibration. The two functions of the elastically controlled hearing are therefore performed quite independently one of the other. Instead of metallic springs, rubber or other elastic resilient material may be employed.

In order that the invention and the manner of performing the same may be properly understood, an explanatory sheet of drawings is hereunto appended, showing in vertical section the improved means of support as applied in connection with the spindle of a turbine driven suspended centrifugal machine. f a

As shown in the drawin the spindle A rotates as usual in ball collar 0, art of the outer surface of which is hemisp erical and rests in a hemispherical seat D. This seat D has on its outer surface an annular flange E flat on its lower surface and resting upon an inwardly extending horizontal part G of the framingi so that the seat D has freedon of latera earings'B in a I the flange and extending between that pins M to the seating, springs N are arranged. *These springs are carried on pins P extending down from the ring L, and they control the oscillation, but, since they are-"carried by the seating D'and so move bodily with it in its lateral movement, they are therefore unaffected by vibration. 1 The tWo functions of the bearing thus elas-' 'tic'ally supported are therefore performed quite independently one of theother, 1

What I claim is': i 1; In a centrifugal machine of the type described, a spindle bearing which comrises a "collar with hemispherical outer earingiface, a hemispherical seat and a suppor't thereforupon Which the same is mounted-:With limited freedom of lateral movementtogether with resilient means to control-*the extent .of said. movement, in combination 'With independent resilient means, unaffected by'the lateral movement ofsaid seat, for controllingthe oscillation 1 of said collar on said seat.

I 2. In a centrifugal machine of the type described, a spindle bearing comprising a name to this specification, in the of two SUbSCIlbIIlgwitnesses.

hemispherical seat and. a support thereforv upon which the same is mounted and means for limiting the lateral freedom of movement of said seat .upon its support, a hemispherical spindle collar having a'bearin on said seat with limited freedom of osclllation, in combination with resilient means moving freely with said seat but arranged between said collar and seat and limiting the extent of oscillation of said-collar in said seat.

3. In a centrifugal machine of the type described, a spindle bearing comprising a hemis herical collar, :a hemispherical seat theref dr on which said collar has limited freedom of oscillation, in combination with y a support for said seat engaged, with lost latera motion bythe latter and resilient means interposed between sald seat and support for limiting the extent of'theilateral motion between said seat and support toether with independent means moving eely with said :seat and Jinterposed between the latter and the spindle collar whereby the extent of oscillation of said spindle on its seat is'limited, substantially as described. f

In testimony whereof I have signed'my presence I ANDREW ROBERT noBrnrsor, Witnesses a DAVID FERGUSON,

WILFRED H NLY. 

